What can be inferred about the team’s direction from the Saints’ initial interviews with offensive coordinators?
After one week of interviews and public mentions, the New Orleans Saints are still looking for an offensive coordinator. However, it’s difficult to determine how far along they are in the process.
However, some inferences can be made from those the Saints have already spoken with. The Saints Insider crew convened last week to talk about the new additions, the potential length of the hiring process, and the critical importance of general manager Mickey Loomis making this hire.
Is it more likely that the new hire is someone more experienced with the offense the Saints have been running, or could it come from the coaching tree of Mike Shanahan and Sean McVay?
Luke Johnson It goes without saying that they are at least thinking about some of these offenses that are dominating football. Six of the top 12 offensive teams in football this season, ranked by total yards, are led by Shanahan, McVay, or their adherents. That makes up half of the league’s best offensive units. Therefore, it is legitimate; obviously, not all of these guys succeed, but a sizable portion of them do. Very intelligent coaches that implement clever offensive schemes, and I believe the Saints’ offense has a lot of firepower. They certainly have problems, but they also have a lot of strength, and if these coaching schemes can bring out more of Derek Carr than what we’ve seen in him,
Although I don’t think it’s the way they’re going to go, I do think it’s a good step for the organization that they’re at least considering it.
Zachary Ewing: Jeff, when will this be finished? Mickey Loomis stated that his approach would be to interview a large number of candidates methodically. Is it possible for this to continue past the Super Bowl?
Jeff Duncan Indeed, I firmly believe that, as I believe that some candidates on these playoff teams are likely candidates they would like to interview in the future. Some of these guys have conducted interviews, so perhaps they can, but given the Saints’ organizational style, I believe they’ll wait and take care of it. Because of the way Mickey Loomis works, I would assume it will take several weeks. He is meticulous, methodical, and always emphasizes making the best hire possible rather than the quickest one. Therefore, I don’t see a hurry for them.
Zachary Ewing: Jeff, when will this be finished? Mickey Loomis stated that his approach would be to interview a large number of candidates methodically. Could we witness this continuing past
What most interests me is whether or not they’re prepared to put money on the table to compete for one of these elite assistants. Let’s say they settle on Kliff Kingsbury. He won’t come cheap, so are they prepared to cover that expense? It’s not like they’ve ever had to do that before. As a coordinator, I believe Gregg Williams was the most costly and well-known assistant they employed. He’s the last person that comes to mind.
Zachary Ewing: Jeff, when will this be finished? Mickey Loomis stated that his approach would be to interview a large number of candidates methodically. Is it possible for this to continue past the Super Bowl?
If they’re more interested in finding a young, up-and-coming coach like the ones they’ve interviewed, or if they want to go out for someone like that. “Is your system adaptable to what we’re running?” is probably one of the questions they’re asking about the profile that’s there. Sometimes you can blend it in; it doesn’t always have to be exactly what they’re running. The Saints have a very complex system. Alternatively, if they’re debating, let’s wait and see what these guys have to say before determining whether or not to move outside and implement a new system, as Luke puts it.
Zachary Ewing: Jeff, when will this be finished? Mickey Loomis stated that he would take his time and speak with a lot of
Because it seems like a very risky thing to do. And given everything that’s at stake this year, I’d be shocked if Dennis Allen and Mickey Loomis took that gamble. That’s not to say they won’t, but I’d be surprised. When you have to win this year, a lot of things can go wrong. They must, after all, prevail. If they lose, Dennis Allen is out of there. Therefore, I’ll be shocked if they take that turn, but it’s encouraging that they’re considering it.
Zachary Ewing: Jeff, when will this be finished? Mickey Loomis stated that his approach would be to interview a large number of candidates methodically. Could this be seen?
